New stamps featuring Liberty Bell go on sale

April 13, 2007|KEN FOWLER Tribune Staff Writer

SOUTH BEND -- The beginning of forever is here for the Postal Service, but there was no rush for the future at the South Bend post office. Starting Thursday, post offices around the country began selling 41-cent "forever stamps," single-item postage that can be bought at current rates and used at any time in the future, regardless of rate increases in the interim. South Bend resident Stephen Busk said he didn't know the "forever stamps" went on sale Thursday until he got to the post office. When he found out about them, he bought a book of 100. "I think it's great. I really like it," he said. "I heard about it maybe two or three weeks ago ... but I didn't know today was the first day." Busk wasn't the only one at the South Bend post office who did not know the "forever stamps" went on sale Thursday. Doris Brown, a native of Virginia, said she intended to return to the post office multiple times to stock up on the stamps. "I have to mail stuff at home to my mom, my sister, my grandchildren, my children. So that price kind of sounds good," she said. But the good deal has struck more than a few as odd. "Some (customers) are skeptical," said Regina Jackey, who works at the South Bend post office and had just sold a booklet of the stamps. "We have to explain to them how it works." The release of the stamps marks the first step in a rate overhaul that will go into full effect May 14. One-ounce letters will rise from 39 cents to 41 cents, and priority mail costs will increase across the board, but additional ounces for letters will drop from 24 cents apiece to 17 cents each. The Postal Service released the "forever stamps" a month before the rate change goes into effect to reduce the possibility of long lines as some customers look to buy two-cent stamps to add to their 39-cent postage, said Dean McCool, the customer relations coordinator at the downtown South Bend post office. McCool said the Postal Service plans to issue the "forever stamps" indefinitely, following the lead of other countries that have similar programs. He said the cost to buy "forever stamps" will be tied to the price of first-class letter postage, though "forever stamps" bought for 41 cents today could be used decades in the future when the rate could be more than double or triple that price. "There's still a little skepticism (because) it sounds like there must be a catch," McCool said. "I think as people realize there is no catch, they'll become much more popular." McCool said residents will still be able to buy rate-sensitive stamps with commemorative and holiday designs after May 14. The "forever stamps" carry an image of the Liberty Bell. McCool said there is no limit on the number of "forever stamps" the Postal Service will sell. There is no limit on how many stamps customers can buy, he said, except for the possibility of an office running out of stock if residents flock to buy the stamps. But McCool thinks that is unlikely. "We have contingency plans to get more quickly if there is a run on them," McCool said. "We think we have it planned out pretty well."